Woden, The Original Anglo-Saxon God

Woden was the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Odin - the leader of the Norse pantheon. But when converted, he slowly disappeared. Or did he? It's common for these gods to, instead, be "demoted" to the role of a mortal hero. In Anglo-Saxon England, this is how it goes down.

Twitter: @GuthlacYT

[MythologywithMike]

Your videos are so well made I'll be surprised if you don't explode in popularity soon.

[stefke]

I’m Dutch but searching into my English family tree I found I am a supposedly a descendant of Wodan (born in 215) too through the Saxons settled in Kent 😁

[ponchopower]

If the vikings came to england just a bit earlier they would have come across a land of people worshiping their own gods something for christians to think about

[mayfrasonsier]

The royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom actually had a similar take on their divine lineage. Wākea is the ancient Hawaiian sky-father. He was the father (and grandfather) of the first king, Hāloa. The Kumulipo, our creation epic, lists the entire genealogy, starting from the first living creature to the last King (Kalākaua). I can trace myself to a famous king, Kalaniʻōpuʻu, most known for his dealings with British Captain James Cook. Kalaniʻōpuʻu could trace his ancestry back to Wākea (he also established himself through war, but that is different matter).

It is very interesting how similar these pre-Christian ideas are. The main difference being Europeans have been Christian for over a millennium. Hawaiians have only been Christian for less than 200 years.

[ActualLiteralKyle]

Yo that was a lot of fun! Very well done! I foresee an explosion of views soon!

[WitchHunterSiegfried]

Credit for pronouncing Odin’s name with the Thorn, rarely hear that.

[kelvinkersey]

she is not the leader of the CofE she is the supreme governor. very different!

[thsseessht]

Hail Odin. Thanks for putting this information all in one place.

[recoveringknowitall]

a great explanation of the uhermerization of gods...

[libiusperseus]

Well... She is also supposed to be descendant of Zeus through the kings of France. 😅
According to the legendary origin of the Franks, the kings of France were descendants of the kings of Troy and, of course, according to Greek mythology, the kings of Troy were descendants of Zeus.
What is sure, however, is that she is definitely NOT the Christian God's representative on Earth. This is heresy invented by the tyrant Henry VIII.

[Spentastic]

Not sure how all the places with Grim in their name relate to Woden/Wotan

[avus-kwf]

I don’t want to be ruled by anyone who can’t trace The ancestry back to Woden

[nationalworkerism]

I'm related to the Anglo saxon god then? I'm related to the royal family like AEthelraed and Harold Godwinson

[Theairbiscuit]

Fascinating video. I came here because my last is Grimes.

[OnsideBanter]

I mean king Charles 3rd just been crowned n it said he is chosen as the best lineage to king Woden, that's why I here.

[hapa]

William the conqueror marries the direct and eventually only descendant of the youngest daughter of Alfred. Henry I marry St Margaret’s daughter and eventually St Margaret’s direct descendant (if not counting John Balliol), the King of Scotland became King of England as well. St Margaret is the eldest granddaughter of Edmund the Ironside who was elder brother of Aelthread, daughter of Edward the Exile. She had a brother Edgar but Edgar gave up his claim and actually fighting for Robert, duke of Normandy against his younger brother William II an Henry I. He didn’t appear to have legitimate children so the claimant of Wessex will go to St Margaret, Queen of Scotland.

[dadon]

I am from Clan Grant descended from wodin from my mothers side and house of Stuart from my fathers side.

[CadePDrumstiX]

So what about Gaelic? My ancestors came from france but I know enough to say that we hailed from the Gaelic people. My name is Cade. In Gaelic it means "Spirit of the battle" I need to find out more.

[idkman]

Maybe you could make a video about some slavic god?

[Surgit]

found this video while I was looking into my genealogy and traced it back to so many historical figures I thought I must have made a mistake but if I didn't ig I'm an ancestor of Woden and I didn't even know he was supposedly a real person